Desert Hot Springs man pleads guilty to trying to lure girls into his car

A Desert Hot Springs man pleaded guilty to eight charges today stemming from his 2016 arrest for offering teenage girls money to get into his car.

Daniel Hernandez, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of lewd acts with a child under 14 and seven counts of child annoyance, District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Hall said.

Hernandez was arrested in March 2016 after two teenage girls said he approached them and offered them money to get into his car. The girls said they were walking through Mission Springs Park on their way to school March 17 when Hernandez spoke to them, but they refused to get in his car, then walked away and called police, according to Desert Hot Springs police Sgt. Gus Paiz.

Officers searched the area but were unable to find him, but the girls helped investigators develop a composite sketch.

The following day, one of the girls spotted Hernandez in the same car, a tan four-door Honda, Paiz said.

Officers were called to the area of Dillon Road and Palm Drive, where Hernandez was stopped and arrested.

Hernandez is scheduled to be sentenced April 16.